Why should a Thai Child Study in an All English Programme at a Thai Government School?

[osmar]

Why should I send my Thai son to an all English Programme at a Thai Government school? Will he fare well or better at a Thai University if his academic vocabulary is English not Thai?

Are O-Net and A-Net Exams available in Thai and English?

Thanks for any replies.

[Scott]

It is difficult to know what the future holds, but if you are settled in Thailand and it is likely that Thailand will remain your (and his) permanent home, then I would tend to put him in a bilingual program. If you think he will go to University in another country, or in an International program, then an all-English program will be acceptable.

A bilingual background helps keep the student functional in both languages. Learning almost exclusively in one language can be detrimental to academic performance in the other language.

[culicine]

Many of my students graduate from our EP and got places in Thai language programs. Students in m4-m6 tend to do extra classes outside of school, so they usually can fill in the vocabulary gaps there. Sending a child to a Thai school will impact their chances of success at a university program run in english. many of these students know the grammar and could pass that part of the entrance test. Then they fall down in the interview because they cannot speak well, or not at all.

The O-net and A-net tests are in Thai only, but many universities have their own entrance tests, especially International programs; e.g. SAT 1 and 2, IGCSE, AP scores, TOEFL. The system here is nightmarish.

[stubuzz]

A bilingual background helps keep the student functional in both languages. Learning almost exclusively in one language can be detrimental to academic performance in the other language.

The students in our English program excel in English, but they do not do well in the Thai national tests.

Will he fare well or better at a Thai University if his academic vocabulary is English not Thai?

Not if the medium of instruction is Thai.

[otherstuff1957]

Do any Thai Government Schools have all English instruction? The EP schools that I have visited or taught at all use a mixture of Thai and English classes. For instance, English, Science and perhaps Math, Health and Geography will be taught in English. All other subjects are usually taught in Thai.

In my experience, the key to a true bilingual education is to start early. Students who start learning a second language in kindergarten have a huge advantage in pronunciation, comprehension and language usage over students who start later.

[zeichen]

It is a tough decision. I think it depends on what your plans are and what you would like for your son. The problem with the Bilingual option is that the students suffer in both languages. They just don't work the way they are run in Thailand. EP isn't a bad option if you don't speak much English in your home or don't help your child with academic english. Since your child lives in Thailand they will communicate well enough in Thai, but their academics will suffer if they don't progress in Thai formally.

My wife and I send our daughter to a purely Thai school. She is a native english speaker as that is what we speak at home. We also spend 1-2 hours a day going over what ever she covered in school in English and then have her summarize in Thai. She plays alone in English but when with her friends she speaks Thai with them.

The issue would be to compensate for whatever is missing at school. Being active in your kids education is more influencial than what school they go to or what economic priveleges they have.

[Ruin]

i would suggest a bilingual school as English is a must for the future and I have noticed that bilingual schools tend to have better teachers.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Ruin

[recycler]

It would surprise me if a government school has a full English program as they are required by law to teach Thai language.

Anyway the more English the better as it not only teaches them another language it also teaches them to communicate and think in a more efficient way as the Thai language offers very little base for clear communication. From another perspective the Thai language is also instrumental in imprinting the very rigid Thai social ranking system in kids minds, English is a good break from that.

[lucjoker]

The only way to learn write ,read thai language is in a thai school.

The kids will speak thai fluently when they are 4 or 5 years,so they only have to learn the writing and the reading.

By the year of 5 the will speak also quite good english ,if you speak only english in your house.

I have 2 sons (5 and 6) and they understand and speak english verry good ,better than my wife .

The thai language is their natural language ,and they speak it flawless .

So they go to a thai wat-school,only to learn writing and reading,all the rest i will teach them myself.

We go many times on holidays to europe ,the know trains,planes,busses,cars,boats.....hotels,restaurants....

this way they learn how the world looks like ,and how to behave in this world.

Dont thrust on schools to do this job for you ,invest your time in your children ,the best investment you will

ever do.

Also dont over estimate the importance of english , the simplest filipino, indian ,vietnamese ,marocan,...can speak it to.

In thailand the first language is thai,then english or russian or chinese .

So if the children dont speak thai......they are in the back of the line later.(unless the also speak fluently chinese and russian )

If the children are not going to live in thailand : send them to an english school,if they can only speak english they are smart enough to live in england ,

[wabothai]

To secure a secure future, nothing more nothing less!

[GAZZPA]

Difficult question to answer really. it is down to your choice i guess.

If you are likely to be moving out of Thailand then English would be better. I don't know whether this means much but i work for a Thai company and the owner and senior Managers all put their children through English schools. The boss sent his teenage kids to a US university.

I am quoting other people here but I have heard that the Thai curriculum in state schools is not up to much and doesn't travel well. This came from a couple of friends of mine who are teachers and have taught in both Thai state schools and International, private schools so no experience of my own here.

I guess it really all depends on your future plans.

[bangarang]

After recently seeing that THE BEST thai university ranked 40th among other asian schools... I dont have much faith in the system here.

Seems like this kid did alright without any current structured schooling. Perhaps an option for my daughter.

Edited May 19, 2014 by bangarang

[YeaBiGgiEs]

Being fluent in English opens a lot more doors all over the world. Thats just the way it is. It would be HIGHLY ADVANTAGEOUS for your child, perhaps more difficult but it will pay off 10fold

[Seksin]

Not sure if he will fair Better at a Thai University... BUT

He (or she) will after Graduation will excel in Job Placement, Worldwide!! If student desides to continue Graduate Courses and choses a school in America or Europe. They will have a tremendous jump on other Thai Students who did not choose to partake in These available classes. Being able to speak and read English and Thai will increase Wages offered after Graduation almost 10 fold!

[recom273]

All English ? Thats putting a lot of faith in the system.

You need to take a real close look at the programme, sit in on the lessons, question the western teachers.

Having worked in or around bilingual EP, I see a lot of places taken with kids who are there due to their parents wealth over academic ability, kids who would benefit more from a special needs programme and some whos parents just want to give the kids an easy ride through school in aircon classes.

[Greg Nixon]

Is the child fully competent in the Thai language ? Does the child get top marks in the Thai language program ? Does the child want to attend the English Immersion program ? Will the parents fully support the English program ?

Having two languages can open many doors. The International language in business and economy is English. All airline pilots must know English as do all traffic controllers. At least half the airline hostesses and counter personnel know English. If you know English you can travel much easier.

I taught a grade 10 English Immersion class in China for 1 year. China has mandated that children learn English from the age of 5 up. There are many Chinese who speak English as well as I do. There are thousands of foreign schools in China but English is the predominant foreign language. If you speak English you will likely be able to navigate the huge market of China. I was able to travel everywhere by myself in China - trains, market places, etc. on my own without Chinese language skills and there was always someone who could speak English to help me navigate .

Ten of my twelve English students in China now attend Universities in Canada because the curriculum was Canadian. The students were able to enter directly into Universities without further testing.

[ggt]

If you wish for your child to be one dimensional...unable to communicate with the majority of the world's population...unable to travel abroad without using an interpreter...unable to hold down a multi-national company job because of not being able to speak English...then indeed your son will not benefit from being taught English in school...

The real question here is...why do you as a father...want less than the best education for your son...?

[culicine]

It would surprise me if a government school has a full English program as they are required by law to teach Thai language.

Anyway the more English the better as it not only teaches them another language it also teaches them to communicate and think in a more efficient way as the Thai language offers very little base for clear communication. From another perspective the Thai language is also instrumental in imprinting the very rigid Thai social ranking system in kids minds, English is a good break from that.

They will also learn to think more critically and learn to ask questions. They generally don't develop these skills with Thai teachers only. Some Thai teachers even punish students for asking questions - it's like they 1) take offence that they didn't teach it well enough, 2) will be embarrassed because the teacher may not know the answer. Foreign teachers, on the other hand, encourage students to ask questions. They also not tend to focus on rote learning as well, so the kids develop higher order cognitive skills. So language development is just one benefit.

[ppmacready]

After recently seeing that THE BEST thai university ranked 40th among other asian schools... I dont have much faith in the system here.

Seems like this kid did alright without any current structured schooling. Perhaps an option for my daughter.

After meeting around 15 children being home schooled in Singapore.

I immediately started home schooling my daughter now aged 10, 2 years ago.

The results are understandably, amazing!

My only advice is, make sure after school they do group activetys like a martial art.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Scott

[culicine]

All English ? Thats putting a lot of faith in the system.

You need to take a real close look at the programme, sit in on the lessons, question the western teachers.

Having worked in or around bilingual EP, I see a lot of places taken with kids who are there due to their parents wealth over academic ability, kids who would benefit more from a special needs programme and some whos parents just want to give the kids an easy ride through school in aircon classes.

That's true, but that doesn't mean the school is of lesser quality. Competent students will do well just about anywhere (a number of my M3's go on to good Thai schools for M4). The difference is if the child is very weak. They are often left to squander and learn very little. This applies to a lot of schools here though. We have remedial programs (not enough in my opinion), but often it does little to help. Some kids are also asked to repeat the year. They often leave the school though. I get an easy ride in an air cond class, so I'm not complaining. If the kids act up I just turn it off. That shuts them up quick lol

[culicine]

After recently seeing that THE BEST thai university ranked 40th among other asian schools... I dont have much faith in the system here.

Seems like this kid did alright without any current structured schooling. Perhaps an option for my daughter.

After meeting around 15 children being home schooled in Singapore.

I immediately started home schooling my daughter now aged 10, 2 years ago.

The results are understandably, amazing!

My only advice is, make sure after school they do group activetys like a martial art.

Home schooling can work, but you need lots of time, follow a strict curriculum, and have some teacher training too. I don;t think it would be all that easy really. You would also need to set up science/art rooms, etc.

[ppmacready]

After recently seeing that THE BEST thai university ranked 40th among other asian schools... I dont have much faith in the system here.

Seems like this kid did alright without any current structured schooling. Perhaps an option for my daughter.

After meeting around 15 children being home schooled in Singapore.

I immediately started home schooling my daughter now aged 10, 2 years ago.

The results are understandably, amazing!

My only advice is, make sure after school they do group activetys like a martial art.

Home schooling can work, but you need lots of time, follow a strict curriculum, and have some teacher training too. I don;t think it would be all that easy really. You would also need to set up science/art rooms, etc.

I agree you have to be committed, that you want your child to be given the best chance possible, of not being indoctrinated to join in a rat race!

I am a retired Fireman.

My daughter attends Anda performing Arts School on Saturday, where she does Gymnastics, Art, Clay modelling, Yoga and Dance.

She also has belonged to a Taekwando school for 2 years.

Studys meditation.

Helps me with my charity works.

Learns the piano.

I was at first apprehensive.

But 2 years later, relieved and very happy how its worked out.

[moe666]

A friend works at RumReeDee International School in Bangkok which is a English school there students score very poorly on the Thai Lang. because it is just another class. Another friend has a English Language School and she also tutors Thai kids in the Thai Language she says many of the Thai kids she sees are being taught very poor Thai grammer in school

[attrayant]

Being fluent in English opens a lot more doors all over the world. Thats just the way it is. It would be HIGHLY ADVANTAGEOUS for your child, perhaps more difficult but it will pay off 10fold

This is the right answer. But to take it a bit further: Do you want your child to have the opportunity to continue his education in the future, even after he leaves school? He can stay in Thailand and still learn from 100 of the most prestigious colleges and universities that put all of their course material online, at absolutely no cost.

Coursera.org is a college course aggregator site which, at the moment, offers 657 courses from dozens of colleges and universities. Out of those, 564 are in English. None are in Thai. The following colleges and universities make their coursework available at Coursera:

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[wvavin]

The stake is too high to send kids to be educated in Thailand with their rotten ancient educational system. If financial situation allows, Singapore is the best in this region. Just my opinion.

[Ulic]

Even if the childs education is all in English his/her social interaction with friends, relatives, etc will be in Thai.

They would have no trouble if they took a few extra courses in Thai just to make sure they are fully up to speed

in there native language.I say full English all the way.

[zeichen]

I find it quite funny how people are equating speaking English with critical thinking. I also find it quite wrong to think the only way people learn English is studying EP courses.

Second of all in Thailand, being bilingual doesn't translate to higher pay. It does allow people more options but since even 7/11 workers are now speaking English it isn't a guarantee to earn more money.

There are many people in the world who are fluent English speakers without having to study their subjects in English.

The other problem with people's assumption is that if the child is to study at Thai universities without proper Academic Language skills in Thai, their grades will suffer. Whereas students who study abroad in English programs are often forgiven for minor mistakes.

Just like everything else as a parent, you will never know if you did the right thing until it is too late.

[dighambara]

English is the defacto language of the world.

Even ASEAN, an all Asian association selected English as their common language.

Therefore, English should be the primary language of study in any country.

In the USA, English is not the native language and in most states is not the legal language, but is the language of instruction in all states.

[ppmacready]

I find it quite funny how people are equating speaking English with critical thinking. I also find it quite wrong to think the only way people learn English is studying EP courses.

Second of all in Thailand, being bilingual doesn't translate to higher pay. It does allow people more options but since even 7/11 workers are now speaking English it isn't a guarantee to earn more money.

There are many people in the world who are fluent English speakers without having to study their subjects in English.

The other problem with people's assumption is that if the child is to study at Thai universities without proper Academic Language skills in Thai, their grades will suffer. Whereas students who study abroad in English programs are often forgiven for minor mistakes.

Just like everything else as a parent, you will never know if you did the right thing until it is too late.

I'm sorry I have to disagree.

bi·lin·gual [bahy-ling-gwuhl or, Canadian, -ling-gyoo-uhl] Show IPA

adjective

1.

able to speak two languages with the facility of a native speaker.

A staff who speaks a smattering of English in 7-11 is therefore not considered bilingual!

It follows a bilingual person in the true sense of the word, you do not find working in these kind of jobs.

This is why it is generally accepted if you are truly bilingual you will get a higher rate of pay.

Lets be honest, when did you last see a 50-50 educated bilingual Thai, making a career at 7-11?